Stake Land

I love Netflix. I love it like everyone loves Shaggy from Scooby-Doo. You know, that goofy little stoner that really means well but very rarely gets shit right. That’s Netflix. Time and time again I watch scores of horror movies, rate them, and hope that the suggestions under “Your List” actually hit within a mile of my interests. Apparently me watching Insidious somehow translates to me wanting to watch some fucking Anime thing that I can only partially pronounce. But just like those rare episodes of Scooby-Doo where Shaggy actually does something right, Netflix has it’s moments as well. Enter, Stake Land.

Stake Land (2010) is a tale about Martin (Connor Paolo), a teenage boy orphaned by the tragedies of a world succumbed to a vampire apocalypse. Alone in a desolate world with little to no hope at all, Martin’s only chance of survival lies along side of his new found friend, and well renown vampire slayer, Mister (Nick Damici).

If you’ve ever wanted to see Zombieland without all the humor injected in it, Stake Land is your flick. If you’ve ever gotten bored with the endless scores of zombie apocalypse flicks and you just wanted to see the zombies replaced with oh, say, vampires? Then Stake Land is your flick. Stake Land’s plot is nothing new; survivor horror with a twist. But where it shines above it’s competition is the fact that it is chalked full of incredible acting, nice amounts of gore, and is peppered with political and social commentary that is seamlessly woven into the story as to not seem like a digital pulpit. Stake Land also boasts a cast with the likes of Danielle Harris (Halloween, 2007), Larry Fessenden (I Sell the Dead, 2008), and Kelly McGillis (Top Gun, 1986). Good job, Shaggy – I mean, Netflix. You didn’t fuck up this time.